What is the catch?

Please tell me.

I've looked at all the big names, Dell, Sony, Asus, Toshiba...and whilst I never thought they were overpriced, I never felt they were underpriced either.

That is until I found out about Zepto. Their top spec, has better components that comparable systems e.g. higher resolution screen 1680, as opposed to 1280, faster ram, faster Hard drive... configuration options, yet still manages to undercut the big boys by at least £300 for every "similar" model I compare it to.

Plus, the design is so nice, you would think they had kidnapped the designer of the MAC and forced him to make PC designs (They haven't have they?)

So what is their secret?
Now, are their materials shoddy?
Is the built quality not up to scratch?
Is there a high component failure rate?
Do they only have cheap prices to make themselves stand out?
Do they make any profit per machine?
Are they going to be liquidated anytime soon?
Do they sacrifice on any part of the machine? ( I read that their screens are not too great)
Does it have a 30 minute battery life?


I just cannot work out how they are so cheap.

I was going to get an Asus F3Jp-AP062U
http://www.nexus13.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=306&idproduct=990

But would anyone recommend getting the comparable Znote 6615WD?

 

And here I thought Asus was cheap..... Besides, AFAIK(and I may be wrong), zepto isn't an ODM, like Asus, etc, so I can't see why they should be cheaper, logically. Maybe some knowledgeable member can shed some light...

 

I too would like to hear an answer to this...

I'd also like to note to darkspark88, if you are considering an Asus F3 series, look into a problem with the headphone jack and the sound card which is known as AudioDJ on that model. I was seriously thinking of buying one but that problem really put me off as I use headphones so much.

 

Well for starters, read the review on 6214W at:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3097&review=Zepto+6214W

There apparently have been some overheating / bad ram stick issues, but only
with Zeptos in UK to my understanding.

I've been thinking of purchasing 6314W myself, but the major dealer here in
Finland just raised the prices today..

As for sesshomaru's post, i think Zepto uses Compal barebones. It is mentioned in that 6214W review.

Cheers,

 

Define "lots of issues". If you browse Alienware forums, you'll see a lot of cringe and whine too. In fact, most brand specific forums have more or less high amounts of discussion over model flaws. It's more often the people who have a problem posting two threads over it than the ones who don't telling their situation multiple times. So, regarding hardware failure rates, I wouldn't go butcher anyone without any "realistic" data, and these forums most certainly do not account for such.

I don't think they will get liquidated, they are rather big in Denmark. The screen on 6615WD for example is Samsung, and it's not an unfamiliar sight in laptops made by other brands either. What might be more exact, is standing out. Should their laptops cost the same amount with the substitutes Dell, Sony, and so forth, their market share would probably be inexcisting as nobody would want to try the new company over the old ones. If they had a market share the size of HP, they'd definately be selling on higher prices too.

What also comes into mind, is the fact that the support they provide directly is substantially reduced. You don't get a manual in six languages with the package, just the driver CD.

 

Actually Zepto seems to be using a combination of different ODM's in their notebook line. Models like the 2425 are basically a Compal HEL80. Models like the 6615W and the 6214W seem to be made buy a company called inventec. http://www.inventec.com/english/product_a01.htm

I own a 6214W, and can't really explain the difference in price either. The only thing I'm not pleased about is the screen enclosure (which can be twisted very easily, and leaves a keyboard impression on the screen [though I have solved this issue by following the helpful suggestion of placing a microfiber cloth between it]). Also batterylife isn't the best and the trackpad could be a lot better. HOWEVER would I consider any of these 'issues' to be subpar? No, I think they are comparable with any 'issues' one has with notebooks. A friend of mine has an Acer Travelmate 240: battery stopped working completely in less then a year, keyboard stopped working in less then 2 years and acer service never bothered to show up to repair it.


So I wouldn't know how zepto makes its products so cheap. If I find out, I'll be on the forum. (Although I hope the cheapness of zepto doesn't manifest itself in some kind of explosion.)

Edit: Forgot to mention, screens viewing angles aren't the best out there, but wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

 

I'm not sure what people expect when they buy something as small and light as the 6214w/6314w with the sort of high-end components it has in it.

I would expect everything - component quality, heat management, build quality, etc. to be as good as it can be just to run the hardware without failing every five minutes and generally this is what you get. I would also expect that occasionally it just won't be able to cope and I'm prepared to live with this to have the best I can get in an ultra-portable machine (I can cycle with it on my back!).

The only laptop I found that compares with it in terms of performance and portability is one of the Sony vaios (Z something) but that attracts a £1000+ premium on my zepto and I also read very negative reports about the quality of the LED lit screen.

I've had issues with one of my memory modules (posted on a seperate thread) and apart from the support being in a different country (I'm from the uk) it is being dealt with fine and I am expecting my replacement module in the next few days. I would recommend being slightly technical is an advantage as sending a single memory module back is a lot easier than sending the whole laptop...

Because they are a small company (comparitively) you do get to talk to someone that you feel is in the same building as the people who build the machines - at least it feels that way!

The only issue I was worried about on the 6214w was the screen and yes the viewing angles aren't great but this isn't a problem - I tend to look at my laptop whilst I'm using it and it looks gorgeous straight on! If I need to do a presentation I just plug it into an external monitor - say a full HD res Bravia tv - nice

Concerning heat - yes it does get hot but again I would expect that. The fan blows some serious hot air out the side and you do need to be careful if you are sitting next to someone on the train! But the rest of the laptop is fine and so far I've not experienced any heat related crashes - or in fact any crashes at all since I removed my bad memory module...

I can honestly say that this is the best piece of kit I've ever bought - I can compile code, play games, surf the net and do anything I want to without any noticeable performance or stability problems.

Even given the couple of hic-ups I had in the first couple of weeks which are now (almost) solved with the help of Zepto support I would say don't worry and save yourself some cash whilst getting yourself a high-end laptop that is a bit different to the norm.

 

I was watching a video they have on the Zepto website, and that seems to have given me more confidence in purchasing the Zepto brand. At the very least, I know they have a HQ, and won't just disappear.
The manufacturing process looked quite amazing to me, notebooks assembled in roughly "6 minutes!", is impressive, as it takes me about half a day to assemble a whole computer.

Im am somewhat technical, so I can cope with having to e.g. change a keyboard, or insert a new stick of Ram. Others have mentioned good support with Zepto, however I too am based in the UK, and currently, other UK customers have claimed less than stellar tech support. However 2 years sounds good enough to me than any language barriers I may encounter. The fact their screens are Samsung surprises me.

I have never heard of any complaints with desktop TFT monitors by Samsung, but perhaps their Notebook ones are the worst that Samsung produce (which compared to some others), it is not much of a drawback, as long as there is something moving in front of my eyes at the end of the day.

I was wondering about battery life on certain models. Is it advisable to purchase their 6+12 cell battery? They state about 2h + on 6 cell and 4h+ on 12 cell. Since some owners claim they are unhappy with the battery life of their models, I'm sure battery is much below their posted estimates.

Finally, has anyone purchased their £3.94 student bag? Worth getting? Or should I look elsewhere. I like its compact size and design, but if it won't protect the notebook...

I think I will be purchasing late July, in time for university, and to ensure any teething problems are sorted before I set off and to allow their somewhat unreliable "JIT system" to get the system to me within 12 days!", seriously, how can you run out of UK keyboards??? The operation is not really streamlined enough.

Hopefully their update their range before then.
Before that, is there any stress testing software anyone can recommend that stresses the components so for example, in 6 hours, you can replicate 6 months of wear on the system. If it is software that some pc manufacturers use in their own "labs", that would be especially useful. I cannot afford to have it fail at the wrong moment.

Thanks for all your great replies. Especially regarding the Sony Vaios, the SZ series are impressive, but for double the price, not worth the money.

 

The reason it's cheap my friend is because they provide no customer service, they don't reply to emails and don't return calls.

And if you're lucky, like me, they send you a laptop with a broken graphics card which overheats all the time, a malformed keyboard and 2 usb ports that dont work !!!

the best thing about it all though is... they say on public forums like this they can help but then they ignore you !!!

What type of company has it's customer service reps on public forums... do you see other companies on here besides micky mouse companies ???


that's the catch!

 

I am sad to hear this. However it seems that this has only affected Zepto customers from the UK. I've always gotten the best customer service possible from Zepto here in Sweden.

And the fact that they have reps on public forums shows that they are tuned in to the public and is something bigger companies should do as well!

 

Actually, I think Sadface has a point. I would prefer the person on the forum to be on the phone-lines actually giving support. I have seen all too many forums where employees simply defend the reputation of the company concerned, instead of giving valuable support.

 

They are also on the phone, i think i have talked 2 af the Zepto guys that are on this forum.

But not about problems i raised on the forum.
The service was allways great.

Not that im defending them hehe. I am worried that my zeppi will start acting up some day. But i hope that the people that post on this forum are the unlucky few. And the happy costumers are out there in the thousands.


Cheers

 

Yes, I'm in the phone support at Zepto Denmark, so I'm one of the guys you would get a hold of when calling Zepto in Denmark.
I can garantee you that you mostly hear from the unhappy customers on forums like these. The happy customers normally don't have to visit these kind of forums

 

Well it's good to know that folks like Rene are on the phones too. By the way, do you know if you've sorted out the situation that this Sadface has been complaining about? It would put my mind at rest before I buy a Zepto. (Just considering waiting for the newer DX10 model 6615 really ;-) )

PS Rene I had some problems with the UK site such accessories for the 6615 did not show up such as TV tuner which I was planning on buying if I bought the 6615.

 

Well I believe sadface has just been unlucky getting a machine with too much cooling paste. We're trying out a new brand now that is applied in a different way which makes it less likely to apply too much resulting in overheating caused by too little contact between the cooling solution and the CPU core.

Sadface unfortunately pulled his machine apart thereby voiding his warranty, so we can't take his machine in for repairs without charging him, which was also what i informed him via PM. I guess you've seen his response/reaction to this on here.

One thing you have to be aware of with the TV tuner is that it only works with the Media Center capable OS' like MCE2005, Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate as the TV tuner isn't released with any software for watching TV, only a driver for the OS.

cherv1, the new model is nice, I've seen it and tested it. Runs smoother than my desktop PC at home I can't say more about it though

 

I have to admit I don't agree with Sadface either.

I have had to call customer service before and also contact them by email and all my calls were answered (immediately and without waiting 25 minutes on hold) and so were my emails (the day they were sent).

And yes of course you get mainly people with problems on forums like these. You also get people that just like to help and both at the same time, like me, who like to help and have problems. Actually that's the reason I came here in the first place. I wanted to know what kind of problems I might encounter if I bought this or that laptop.

Personally the problems I've had with my Z were minor and would still recommend this brand to anyone who would ask me for my opinion on the subject.

Cheers.

 

If that's the case, you'll have to tell us what has your home pc eaten?
Oh, and can you reveal us some info, will there be only 15,4" sized new models, or also 14"?

 

My Home PC is a P4 3.2GHz, 1GB RAM PC3200, 6600GT 128MB so no doubt it would be faster no matter what

Unfortunately i can't say anything about that. As we are on the danish stock market i can't reveal any information at all about upcoming products as it would be twisting the competition on the market leaking this kind of information.

 

Yes I know about the Media Center requirement, but even if I do select Home Premium as an OS it still does not come up on the list of accessories (compare to the danish site).

Also, what's up with the OS options? First it was XP, then XP+Vista, then XP only, now only Vista....

(PS are you still at work Rene? Crazy hours they must have you working there )

 

Okay, I'll pass the information on the the guy that is maintaining the UK site.

Nah, not at work now. I'm at home. Have been at home for the past 3½ hours

 

Oh ok

One more thing Rene, do you think that once this 6615 v2 is released you will still sell the 6615? Or will it completely replace it.

 

I actually don't know yet, to be honest.

 

Rene,

Thanks for joining us on the forum.

Do you have any idea when the newer models will be announced?

Regards

 

He said earlier in the thread that he was limited on what he could say, but according to a German article I read, April / May time.

But thanks again for looking into the problems with the UK site, it's not really that bad, just some items don't show up, another thing I noticed was the Samsung DVD player being offered on the Dk site as opposed to an out-of-stock Sony on UK. But it's probably just becuase it's a relatively new site, I'm sure these problems will be sorted out before I buy my first Zepto